Poulter 'too far removed' to be Ryder Cup captain - McIlroy

Rory McIlroy believes LIV defectors Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood are excessively acold removed from nan existent harvest of European players to beryllium considered arsenic early Ryder Cup captains.

Poulter and Westwood resigned from nan DP World Tour past twelvemonth to debar paying fines for switching to LIV.

But Poulter, speaking successful an question and reply pinch Al Arabiya English,, external said he retained dream he would beryllium capable to skipper Europe successful nan future.

Northern Ireland's McIlroy believes nan seasoned pair's absence from nan European circuit - which follows an acrimonious divided - makes it intolerable for that happen.

"I conscionable deliberation pinch nan existent authorities of wherever everything is, you request personification that's astir and showing their look arsenic overmuch arsenic they can," said McIlroy, who has been a starring LIV critic.

"Right now, that honestly conscionable can't beryllium them because they are elsewhere."

The emergenc of LIV, which is financially supported by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) to nan tune of $2bn (£1.6bn), has seen nan men's crippled riven by disagreement.

In June 2023, nan PGA and DP World Tours announced they had a 'framework agreement' to merge pinch PIF.

But a woody to extremity golf's civilian warfare has yet to beryllium agreed.

Poulter, 48, helped Europe triumph nan Ryder Cup 5 times and is synonymous pinch nan 'Miracle astatine Medinah', playing an instrumental portion successful his team's bonzer fightback successful 2010.

Westwood, 51, has played successful 11 Ryder Cups - a associated grounds for Europe alongside Bernhard Langer - and has besides expressed his ambitions of captaining nan team.

Both Englishmen switched to LIV successful 2022.

McIlroy utilized existent skipper Luke Donald arsenic an illustration of why he thinks Poulter and Westwood will struggle to reconcile pinch European players.

"You look astatine what Luke has done nan past fewer years - he's really made an effort to travel complete [from nan United States]. He played [on nan European Tour] successful nan Czech Republic. He was successful Switzerland," added McIlroy.

"He's making an effort to beryllium astir nan players and make nan players consciousness comfortable pinch him - nan up-and-comers that haven't had a chance yet to beryllium connected a squad aliases trying to make a team."

Meanwhile, McIlroy says he is looking guardant to getting "back connected nan horse" successful nan PGA Championship astatine Wentworth this week.

McIlroy, 35, was denied triumph astatine nan Irish Open connected Sunday erstwhile Denmark's Rasmus Hojgaard fought backmost to triumph by 1 changeable successful a melodramatic last information astatine Royal County Down.

Overnight leader McIlroy led by 4 shots early successful nan information but dropped shots astatine 15 and 17 proved costly.

"I deliberation location whitethorn beryllium a misconception that it deed maine harder than it possibly did," said nan world number three.

"You know, I didn't really consciousness for illustration I needfully mislaid nan tournament. I felt for illustration Rasmus went retired and won it.

"Obviously I'm trying to look for nan positives successful each of it but I'm happy to beryllium here. There are not galore amended places to be."